BillsFan4 Posted May 8, 2019 Author Share Posted May 8, 2019 (edited) Quote As for some clarification on Ruotsalainen's contract, if he does not make the Sabres roster from opening night this year, he will go back to Ilves for the 2019-20 season. Once his season is over in Finland, he can be assigned to the Rochester Americans and play out the remainder of the season in the American Hockey League. After the 2019-20 season, he will have no restrictions on where he has to play. He would be eligible to start the season with either the Amerks or the Sabres for the final two years of his entry-level deal. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-sign-ruotsalainen-entry-level-deal at first I figured this was just another Antipon type situation, where if he didn’t make the team and stick, we’d probably never see him again. Glad to see thats not the case at all. Gives me more hope that this kid can be a player for us someday. Edit - even better: Edited May 8, 2019 by BillsFan4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 1 minute ago, BillsFan4 said: https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-sign-ruotsalainen-entry-level-deal at first I figured this was just another Antipon type situation, where if he didn’t make the team and stick, we’d probably never see him again. Glad to see thats not the case at all. Gives me more hope that this kid can be a player for us someday. Probably best for Rick Jeanneret that he not make the Sabres opening day lineup next year. The combination of his and Risto’s last names might induce a fit in the play by play booth. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted May 8, 2019 Share Posted May 8, 2019 This is an interview with Jokke Nevalainen on WGR talking about Arttu and a few other prospects. According to Jokke Arttu is going to need at least another year or so to get stronger. It is an 8 minute segment. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/05-08-jokke-nevalainen-dobber-prospects-howard-and-jeremyevalainen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 8 hours ago, JohnC said: This is an interview with Jokke Nevalainen on WGR talking about Arttu and a few other prospects. According to Jokke Arttu is going to need at least another year or so to get stronger. It is an 8 minute segment. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/05-08-jokke-nevalainen-dobber-prospects-howard-and-jeremyevalainen Everyone needs at least 5 more years. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 14 hours ago, GG said: It's almost as bad as the first ROR trade. That one is called the Drunken Donut trade. Maybe we should trade for a GM that realizes part of his job is to hire a coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 20 hours ago, BillsFan4 said: Apparently WGR said today that Friedman saying that Tippett is a favorite for the Edmonton job (Someone else posted this info. I am still trying to verify it for myself). If its true, Edmonton hasn’t even had a damn GM for the last few months. Holland was just out in place yesterday ffs. I will be so pissed if the oilers get Tippett. But I guess it’s my own fault for getting my heart set on him. I would love holland and tippett to turn this ship around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 okay, looks like Trippett and Gronberg out...so who we going to? Marlies need to get swept, and fast. I need answers if that boy in our plans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 42 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said: okay, looks like Trippett and Gronberg out...so who we going to? Marlies need to get swept, and fast. I need answers if that boy in our plans Is Tippett definitely out? You certainly hope that Crayonz is more wrong than right, but so far the leaks indicate that the Sabres have not even interviewed many of the "top" candidates. That of course flies in the face of a report that Botts prefers someone with NHL experience. So, who's still left? Are there behind the scenes moves and a possibility of actually trading for an active coach? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 fats is currently dealing with the canadian team in the euro tournament, so probably nothing will happen for awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helpmenow Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Kane and O’Reilly are laughing right about now about the Sabres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 43 minutes ago, May Day 10 said: fats is currently dealing with the canadian team in the euro tournament, so probably nothing will happen for awhile. Not many golf courses in Slovakia so when he gets back he'll need to: Recover from jet lag Get in a few rounds Charity golf benefit. It's a scramble! Have the car serviced Attend St. John Fisher camp. One Buffalo! Pick up the dry cleaning Binge Game of Thrones final season he missed while in Slovakia Scan Netflix for stuff Make a few calls to potential coaches; make sure to include Emelio Estevez who looked intriguing during one of his Netflix choices Not rushing in on coaches is a key part of this if we expect Mittlestadt to be a viable 2nd line center by the 27-28 season. Patience. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted May 9, 2019 Author Share Posted May 9, 2019 (edited) Gronborg is out. Why this move by Grönborg tells me s that he knows his big weakness is not having in-season head coaching experience. I think he knows that he needs to be a true head coach somewhere before he will get an NHL opportunity. clearly no NHL teams were interested in him as a head coach. 1 hour ago, plenzmd1 said: okay, looks like Trippett and Gronberg out...so who we going to? Marlies need to get swept, and fast. I need answers if that boy in our plans Why is Tippett out? If this is from my comment earlier, I did some more research and Friedman just mentioned that he was one of the candidates. Far from a done deal. Edited May 9, 2019 by BillsFan4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 I was luke-warm on Gronborg anyways. The concept was interesting.... but IMO, this team is not in the position to take such a risk and dive in on a coach who is not experienced in the rigors of an NHL-length season. The next coach needs to somehow fix the reasons why this team has quit during the past 3 seasons, as well as provide sound schematics. To me, Tippett is perfect, as far as what is currently available, and honestly, I would choose him over Quenneville for this team. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Has there been any story/quote out there to suggest that Gronborg actually talked to any NHL team? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted May 9, 2019 Author Share Posted May 9, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, shrader said: Has there been any story/quote out there to suggest that Gronborg actually talked to any NHL team? Not the Sabres, according to Vogl. If anything, I’d guess he got interest for an assistant job in the NHL, not a head coaching job. IMO he just doesn’t have the experience yet to be in consideration for an NHL HCing gig. Edit - here is what Grönborg said - Edit again - 14 years is a long time. No way was he getting an NHL head coaching opportunity without taking this step first (or coming to the NHL as an assistant) Edited May 9, 2019 by BillsFan4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted May 9, 2019 Author Share Posted May 9, 2019 Hopefully this means that we are one step closer to an NHL backed professional women’s league (WNHL). And if/when that happens, I expect Kim Pegula to be involved and re-acquire a women’s hockey franchise for buffalo. Apparently the NHL has a plan for an NHL backed league but won’t do anything while there are other professional women’s leagues (NWHL). They don’t want to be seen as trying to kill a women’s hockey league, but don’t believe that the NWHL business model will work (so they won’t get involved). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 JBotts is really hitting this coaching search out of the park, no? A month from now they will just promote Chris Taylor from Rochester. Not that he might not be good, just that the Sabres dicked around this long while real candidates went elsewhere. I was on the fence on renewing my seasons. This is not helping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 37 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said: JBotts is really hitting this coaching search out of the park, no? A month from now they will just promote Chris Taylor from Rochester. Not that he might not be good, just that the Sabres dicked around this long while real candidates went elsewhere. I was on the fence on renewing my seasons. This is not helping. Whether its a valid complaint or not.... i think its a bad look that botterill is in europe working a second job at the loser tournament instead of "focusing" on this team that is a heavy lift and obviously needs a lot of work. His co-gms are both unemployed. It looks worse that the coaching carousel is continually spinning. If edmonton lands tippett while he is gone, im going to have trouble not being angered by this. I guess when a stated goal is to "be in a position to be in games"... the bar is set low enough where there is plenty of room for error Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 Do you think Houseley would come back if we asked nicely? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 1 hour ago, bbb said: Do you think Houseley would come back if we asked nicely? Nolan would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockpile233 Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 2 hours ago, May Day 10 said: Whether its a valid complaint or not.... i think its a bad look that botterill is in europe working a second job at the loser tournament instead of "focusing" on this team that is a heavy lift and obviously needs a lot of work. His co-gms are both unemployed. It looks worse that the coaching carousel is continually spinning. If edmonton lands tippett while he is gone, im going to have trouble not being angered by this. I guess when a stated goal is to "be in a position to be in games"... the bar is set low enough where there is plenty of room for error Agreed. I’m not overly worried about who they hire for a coach, but I just think it’s bizarre our GM is out of the country and there has been practically nothing out of them concerning the search. At least one of my season ticket holding friends is very aggravated by it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 4 minutes ago, Rockpile233 said: Agreed. I’m not overly worried about who they hire for a coach, but I just think it’s bizarre our GM is out of the country and there has been practically nothing out of them concerning the search. At least one of my season ticket holding friends is very aggravated by it. I do realize this is a world of connectivity, cell phones, etc... but I don't know. If nothing else, it is really bad optics. Seeing the condition his NHL team was in, he really should have declined the Canada job. What if Tippett is waivering between Holland/Edmonton and Botterill/Buffalo, and a face to face meeting or bringing him into town to show him the facilities, introduce him to some people/staff and such could win him over? I am very close to tossing my season tickets. Waiting to see the results of this coaching search and this isn't helping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 6 minutes ago, May Day 10 said: I do realize this is a world of connectivity, cell phones, etc... but I don't know. If nothing else, it is really bad optics. Seeing the condition his NHL team was in, he really should have declined the Canada job. What if Tippett is waivering between Holland/Edmonton and Botterill/Buffalo, and a face to face meeting or bringing him into town to show him the facilities, introduce him to some people/staff and such could win him over? I am very close to tossing my season tickets. Waiting to see the results of this coaching search and this isn't helping. While we're playing the what if game, what if Keefe is their guy and they can't do a thing while the Marlies are still in the playoffs? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockpile233 Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 3 minutes ago, May Day 10 said: I do realize this is a world of connectivity, cell phones, etc... but I don't know. If nothing else, it is really bad optics. Seeing the condition his NHL team was in, he really should have declined the Canada job. What if Tippett is waivering between Holland/Edmonton and Botterill/Buffalo, and a face to face meeting or bringing him into town to show him the facilities, introduce him to some people/staff and such could win him over? I am very close to tossing my season tickets. Waiting to see the results of this coaching search and this isn't helping. I agree that, while it’s probably not a big deal, it’s just a bad look. He’s running a team in a professional league who needs a coach. Why are you working on a side project during a coaching search? Even if if you are doing all the right things remotely, shouldn’t you engage the fans who sat through another frustrating season? I don’t know, but just doesn’t seem right. 2 minutes ago, shrader said: While we're playing the what if game, what if Keefe is their guy and they can't do a thing while the Marlies are still in the playoffs? I don’t buy Sabres season tickets, but I can understand why ticket holders approaching renewal would be aggravated by the lack of feedback. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 3 minutes ago, shrader said: While we're playing the what if game, what if Keefe is their guy and they can't do a thing while the Marlies are still in the playoffs? That would be fine. As I said, I'm waiting to see the results of this... but if things break in a way I do not like, my mind will definitely go to this Euro Trip as a source of displeasure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 5 hours ago, May Day 10 said: What if Tippett is waivering between Holland/Edmonton and Botterill/Buffalo Maybe Botterill knows that people don't like him, so to give us our best chance, he's on another continent. Smart move! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 In the grand scheme of things it probably shouldn't prevent anything from happening but being half a world away, with priority given to a tournament that is fairly meaningless, is definitely a bad look. Other teams making coaching moves during this time makes it worse. Tim Murray was the worst GM I've ever seen. He was worse than Matt Millen. He made almost universally bad decisions and called everyone in his field of vision stupid. That said, he never looked lazy. Don't get me wrong, lazy is an improvement over Murray. But it's not good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted May 10, 2019 Author Share Posted May 10, 2019 I am wondering if this may be what’s holding up any Tippett hire. Tim Liwicki hired him to help put together a hockey ops staff, and now that Tippett may be leaving I can see where Liwicki could’ve asked him to stay on long enough to at least help put a GM in place, who can then finish assembling the hockey ops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 18 hours ago, BillsFan4 said: Gronborg is out. Why this move by Grönborg tells me s that he knows his big weakness is not having in-season head coaching experience. I think he knows that he needs to be a true head coach somewhere before he will get an NHL opportunity. clearly no NHL teams were interested in him as a head coach. Why is Tippett out? If this is from my comment earlier, I did some more research and Friedman just mentioned that he was one of the candidates. Far from a done deal. this sux Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 16 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said: JBotts is really hitting this coaching search out of the park, no? A month from now they will just promote Chris Taylor from Rochester. Not that he might not be good, just that the Sabres dicked around this long while real candidates went elsewhere. I was on the fence on renewing my seasons. This is not helping. Darcy and Lindy are available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted May 10, 2019 Author Share Posted May 10, 2019 7 hours ago, Buffalo Barbarian said: this sux Not a single NHL team was interested in him. He said himself he hasn’t been a full time head coach in 14 years. And hey, its only a 2 year deal with ZSC. So it will line up perfectly with the Sabres next coaching search 2 years from now! lol (only half joking...) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted May 10, 2019 Author Share Posted May 10, 2019 (edited) I really hope Tippett decides to come here, assuming White super secret source is right, which doesn’t seem to happen that often... but I really, really want to believe him this time! lol Jacques Martin would be a tough one to get behind. Edited May 10, 2019 by BillsFan4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 (edited) 10 hours ago, Buffalo Barbarian said: this sux While you brood I celebrate. Tippett is the man I want behind the bench. I just think that he is the type of coach who is more adaptable to the talent he has on hand rather than be the type of coach who imposes his ingrained system. 2 hours ago, BillsFan4 said: I really hope Tippett decides to come here, assuming White super secret source is right, which doesn’t seem to happen that often... but I really, really want to believe him this time! lol Jacques Martin would be a tough one to get behind. After listening to this WGR interview with someone from Montreal I would find a Martin selection uninspiring and disappointing. This is an 8 minute segment. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/05-10-pat-hickey-montreal-gazette-howard-and-jeremy-jacques-martin Edited May 10, 2019 by JohnC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted May 10, 2019 Author Share Posted May 10, 2019 1 hour ago, JohnC said: While you brood I celebrate. Tippett is the man I want behind the bench. I just think that he is the type of coach who is more adaptable to the talent he has on hand rather than be the type of coach who imposes his ingrained system. After listening to this WGR interview with someone from Montreal I would find a Martin selection would be uninspiring and disappointing. This is an 8 minute segment. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/05-10-pat-hickey-montreal-gazette-howard-and-jeremy-jacques-martin I would be beyond disappointed with a Martin hire. He has a ton of experience and had some success as a head coach in Ottawa 20 years ago. But there is a reason why he hasn’t been a head coaching candidate for years.... I don’t think he is the right personality type for this current team either. Hes kind of soft spoken and passive. He’s not the type of guy that will command a locker room. I just don’t think he’s the type of leader this team needs. I could see the whole buy-in issue popping up again with Martin, similar to Bylsma. Plus he’s almost 70... There was a report that came out a while back (after the last time Martine was mentioned as a top candidate) saying that Martin was only being looked at in an assistant coaching type role. I am really hoping that is still true. Martin as an assistant would be a good thing. As a head coach? No thank you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 14 hours ago, Buffalo Barbarian said: Darcy and Lindy are available. Don't laugh. Who built the last champion contenders? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nextmanup Posted May 11, 2019 Share Posted May 11, 2019 25 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said: Don't laugh. Who built the last champion contenders? I'd rather swallow some broken glass than see those two back in Buffalo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted May 11, 2019 Share Posted May 11, 2019 7 minutes ago, Nextmanup said: I'd rather swallow some broken glass than see those two back in Buffalo. Just saying we've been wandering the desert since them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted May 11, 2019 Share Posted May 11, 2019 12 hours ago, JohnC said: While you brood I celebrate. Tippett is the man I want behind the bench. I just think that he is the type of coach who is more adaptable to the talent he has on hand rather than be the type of coach who imposes his ingrained system. After listening to this WGR interview with someone from Montreal I would find a Martin selection uninspiring and disappointing. This is an 8 minute segment. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/05-10-pat-hickey-montreal-gazette-howard-and-jeremy-jacques-martin Whatever we have to do to win i am for. 7 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said: Don't laugh. Who built the last champion contenders? thats how i see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted May 11, 2019 Share Posted May 11, 2019 5 hours ago, Buffalo Barbarian said: Whatever we have to do to win i am for. That's the spirit! Getting a good coach is essential. Adding more talent to the roster is even more essential. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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